Dedication to Dreamers

This is how Amy Purdy’s session was introduced this week at the first VOICES Inc. talk this week. Amy Purdy is the 2014 Paralympic Medalist, she’s a double amputee with a profound story of determination, courage and beating the odds. Many know her for her performance on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. Her story was a reminder about three things.

Being Your Story: “If your life was a book and you were the author, how would you want your story to go?” This is how Amy opened her talk and explained it was the question that guided her decision and path after her life of freedom and independence took a detour and when her life would rely on machines, mechanics and innovation, while her desire for a life of adventure was still strong.

Knowing Your Purpose: It is clear that sharing her message of triumph is Amy’s purpose. She affirmed this with her actions to start a non-profit organization Adaptive Action Sports, and her championship and petition to have Snowboarding as one of the competition categories in the Sochi Olympics (2014). It is often our passion that carries us through challenges. This is when we’re forced to dig deep and figure out what we’re made of. At this year’s Creative Conference in Portland, Steve Emerson, Visual Effects Supervisor LAIKA commented that people shouldn’t wait for inspiration. Inspiration is a component of creativity, not a catalyst. People who love what they do enjoy the process of whatever they love. I sat in the audience and nodded profusely. Of course this is true! We can’t just wait for the next TED talk, conference or book to inspire us to action. When I’m reflective, uncertain or unsure I often think about my purpose to be a changemaker to enable people to perform at their best. This is where all paths lead.

Finding Assets in Obstacles: Being emotionally and physically broken was hard and Amy talked about how her biggest loss turned into her biggest asset. The comment signaled the power of attitude and was a reminder that while we can’t control everything in our lives and we can’t control other people, we can control how we respond to a situation.

It takes courage and energy to try new things and to overcome challenges. It can take mental, physical or/and emotional energy. Whether you’re an introvert, extrovert or ambivert, it takes less of one energy and more of the other. Depending on your style, trying new things can give you energy too. It also breeds anxiety or fear. It gives me energy to listen. I love going to conferences, listening to speakers like Amy.

In just a short amount of time her life has been transformed at least twice or three times. She’s been on the road with Oprah on her Power of Intention tour, competed on Dancing with Stars, got married, won an Olympic Medal. Its fair to say that having a list of accomplishments on this scale won’t be everyone’s list (although maybe dreamers’ lists). But Amy’s story offered a reminder for all of use that we don’t have to be limited by circumstance.